Reporting Templates

At the ISA's 21st Session in July 2015, the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority issued recommendations (ISBA/21/LTC/15) for the guidance of contractors on the content, format and structure of annual reports.

The recommendations should be applied by all contractors with effect from 1 January 2016.

In the recommendations, references to the “Regulations” are collective references to the Regulations on Prospecting and Exploration for Polymetallic Nodules in the Area, the Regulations on Prospecting and Exploration for Polymetallic Sulphides in the Area and the Regulations on Prospecting and Exploration for Cobalt-rich Ferromanganese Crusts in the Area. The references to “clauses” are references to the standard clauses applicable to the particular contract in question.

The purpose of the recommendations is to provide guidance to contractors in relation to the content, format and structure of their annual reports. It includes general requirements for their annual reports and specific guidance for reporting on the exploration under contract for polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulphides and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Annual reports shall be submitted to the Secretary -General by the end of March each year on the activities carried out in the previous year and contain the information specified in section 10 of Annex IV to the Regulations.

Reports should be submitted in hard copy and electronic format and all environmental and geological data should be submitted in a digital and spatially georeferenced format that is compatible with the Authority’s requirements, using the templates listed below.

Reports should present the results of the work of the reporting year with reference to the approved plan of work for exploration. The contractor should indicate its short-term (1 year), medium-term (5 years) and long-term (10 -15 years) objectives. The reports should also contain information on project management to enable an overview of progress in the implementation of the programme of work and, where applicable, training programmes.

Reports should indicate clearly the actual work carried out during the reporting year.

SPECIFIC GUIDANCE

The recommended content, format and structure of annual reports on the exploration under contract for polymetallic nodules is provided in Annex I.

The recommended content, format and structure of annual reports on the exploration under contract for polymetallic sulphides is provided in Annex II.

The recommended content, format and structure of annual reports on the exploration under contract for cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts is provided in Annex III.

A list of the templates to be used for reporting geological and environmental data is provided in Annex IV (and available for downloading below). There are two environmental and geological data templates per type of mineral resources.

The Authority’s classification standard for reporting Mineral Exploration Results Assessments, Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, as adopted by the Commission, is provided in Annex V.